Tourist information about West Bengal
- Kolkata (Calcutta) was the capital of British India.
- State has architectural and natural heritage
- Famous for terracotta temples at Bishnupur
- Plenty of options of tourist attractions
- Colorful folk festivals are worthy to take part in
- Contemporary music and traditional music culture is great to witness
- Theatre and films culture is also great to explore
- Place for options of crafts and arts
- Decide for the right month to explore the beauties of the state
Location of West Bengal
- Situated in eastern part of India
- It is also along the sides of Bay of Bengal
- Considered to be in the 4th rank as a populous state
- Being the 13th largest Indian state, it is spread over an area of 88,752 square kilometers
- It is along the borders of Indian states like Sikkim, Assam, Odisha, Bihar
Best time to visit West Bengal
- October to March is the suitable time to visit
- It is better to explore the place during cold weather
Temperature of West Bengal
- It is tropical savannah towards southern portions varying to humid subtropical towards north
- Summer at the delta region is excessively humid
- Highest temperature ranges from 38 degree Celsius to 45 degree Celsius
- Thunderstorms known as ‘Kal-baisakhi’ prevails from northwest or north
- Winter experiences minimum temperature going down to 15 degree Celsius
How to reach West Bengal?
By Train
- Main railway stations are Howrah railway station and Sealdah Railway Station
- New Jalpaiguri Railway Station is present at Siliguri
- Other stations are Barddhaman Station, Azimganj Junction, Raiganj Railway Station
- The stations easily connect with major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and the like
By Bus
- Availing road service to reach West Bengal is an easy option
- With extensive road network, it is easy to get connected with major cities
- Highways connect well with Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa
- Common highways are NH16 and NH2 connecting major cities
By Air
- West Bengal is adequately connected with other major cities via airways
- Major airports include Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata
- Other major airports are Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport, Bagdogra Domestic Airport, Cooch Behar Airport
What is West Bengal famous for?
- Terracotta temples at Bishnupur
- Hazarduari palace known as second chandelier
- State is known as cultural, commercial and education center
- It is among the most populous states
- One of the pioneer in arts, theatre, drama, literature
Things to do when traveling to West Bengal
Visit Sundarbans
- Admire wildlife at Sundarbans
- One of the largest river delta to have the best wildlife experience
- One of the famous natural wonders along the coastal region of Bay of Bengal
- Get to witness variety of flora and fauna
- Best place to visit for the animal lovers
Victoria memorial
- It is great to marvel over its architecture
- The 54 meters high building is a perfect tourist spot
- Visiting the place is one of the refreshing things to do in Kolkata
Kalighat and Dakshineswar temple
- Place for the worshippers
- Two of the most prominent Hindu temples to visit
- Goddess Kali is worshipped on both the temples
- To get the taste of spirituality, visiting the temples is a must
Howrah Bridge
- To witness the art of engineering, this Bridge is a great option to visit
- This is known to be the sixth longest bridge
- Nothing can be great than going for romantic walk with your favorite person at Howrah Bridge
Shop at Park Street
- To shop from the best corners of the city, Park Street is the option
- For the shopping maniacs, this is the place
- Traditional sarees, jute craft, books, terracotta structures and other items are available
- Great Christmas Celebration is worthy to witness at Park Street
Watching sunset at Princep Ghat
- Nothing can be great than capturing beautiful landscape during sunset
- This is one of the oldest ghat since British period
- View of River Ganges with plenty of food options to taste are great
- Enjoy boat river in the river with the sun going down in a great experience
Places to visit in West Bengal
Bankura
- Art, culture and history attracts tourists
- The Biharinath Hill is one of the major attractions
- Durgapur and Kharagpur are the nearby places to visit
- It is just 221 kilometers from Bankura
Midnapore
- The historical and cultural importance along with the temples are famous to visit
- Kolkata and Bankura are nearby places to visit
- Chapaleshwar and Mahamaya temples are great
- Roadways, railways and airways easily connects the place with other major cities
Siliguri
- Historical and cultural importance of the place is worth visiting
- Chilapata forests are the greatest attractions
- Takes a whole day’s time to visit
- Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling are the near places to visit
Murshidabad
- Home for different regions and races
- Holds a grandeur indicating the pre-historic times
- It was Bengal’s capital before British rule
- Famous places include Jalangi River, Katra Mosque, Imambara, Hazarduari Palace museum
Kalimpong
- Famous hill station in lower Himalayas
- It is at an altitude of 1250 meters
- Amazing view and tranquility of the place is great
- Famous for orchids, handicrafts and beautiful nurseries
- Tourist places include Tongsa Gompa, Deolo Hill, Jaldhaka rivet valley
Cooch Bihar
- Famous district in Jalpaiguri and located towards northeastern part of the state
- One can witness great influences of Mughal period
- Place is famous for water bodies and monuments
- Rasik Bail, Dangar Ayee Temple, Chilapata forest range are great to visit
Mirik
- Place has more than just mountains and lakes
- Situated amidst Himalayan Valley
- Boating experience and visit to temples are great
- Place is full or gardens and beautiful orchids
Dooars
- One can witness series of floodplains in northeastern part of India
- Surrounded by Sankoshi in west and Teesta in east
- Beautiful place to visit to witness natural beauty
Santiniketan
- Famous as Rabindranath Tagore’s home
- This is also a famous university in Birbhum district
- August to March is the best time to visit
Famous festivals at West Bengal
Durga Puja
- One of the important and famous Hindu festivals
- It is celebrated in October
- People from every corner of India come to witness its grandeur
- Festival celebrates the great victory of the good over evil
- People visit pandals during this time wearing new cloths
- Goddess are beautifully dressed and pandals are also illuminated
Dol Purnima
- Holi is termed as Dol Jatra or Dol Purnima
- Festival is celebrated by worhsipping icons of Krishna and Radha
- The goddess are taken out on the road in Palanquim
- On the festival day, people dress up on white or yellow colored clothes wearing garlands of flowers
Poush Sankranti
- Sankranti is also called as Poush Sankranti in West Bengal
- In this festival, fresh harvested paddy along with date palm as Khejurer Gur and Patali is the main dish during this festival
- Pitha is another famous dish for this festival
- Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped on the day of the festival
Rathayatra
- Known as the Chariot festival of Jagananth
- Celebrated during June – July
- A 600 years old chariot is seen in Serampore which is just 30 kilometers from Kolkata
- Deities of Jagannath, Balarama and Subhadra are celebrated on this day
Losar
- Other name of the festival is Tibetan new year
- This is a 15 day long festival celebrated by Buddhist monasteries
- It is held during February and March
- Mask dances and rituals are common during this time
Food culture of West Bengal
Aloo posto
- Poppy seeds are common among Bengalis and used in different dishes
- Poppy seeds are prepared with potatoes with coconut puree and some other spices
Ilish Macher Jhol
- One of the famous flavored fish in Bengal
- It is prepared with Nigella seeds along with chili
- Known to be a staple food of West Bengal
Shukto
- It is a famous first course of the diet
- Prepared with brinjals, bitter gourd, bori and drumsticks
- Milk is also added to thicken the gravy
Sandesh
- One of the popular Bengali sweet dishes
- It is prepared from condensed milk
- It is a must have option for the sweet lovers
- One of the delectable sweet items to taste when traveling to West Bengal
Aam Pora Shorbot
- Raw mangoes and sugar are mixed with chilled water
- This drink is the famous to beat the summer heat
- Raw mangoes are burnt in this to give a smoky taste
- One of the best drinks of Bengal compared to the artificial ones
Mishti Doi
- Nothing can beat the sweetness of sweetened yogurt
- It is served as dessert item at the last of a meal
- It is another must have sweet dish for the sweet lovers
Important advice for tourists
- Give tips to taxi drivers when strolling around in West Bengal
- Leaving tip is also common when leaving hotels
- Smoking is banned in public places like shopping malls, workplace, banquet halls and the like
- It is better to avoid body hugging dresses when strolling in the city
- It is better not to carry too much cash and other valuable items in public
- To maintain safety, it is better not to roam around during night
- Avoid talking with over friendly taxi drivers, unknown people and tourist guide
- Plenty of hotels are available in tourist spots and it is important to check safety and security options in the hotel
Important contact numbers
- Traffic Police HQ Control Room – 033 2359-8289, 033 2359-4015
- State control room – 1070
- Police – 100
- Medical Helpline – 9830079999
- Child Helpline – 1098
- Women Helpline – 1091
